CourtReserve’s White Label App provides clubs a premium mobile platform that embodies brand identity while integrating new and existing features to optimize operations and communication. It offers the support to drive engagement, foster a sense of community and explore new revenue streams.
Present players a new registration process within the ecosystem of a club’s white label app to ensure a seamless and engaging user experience from initial sign-up to subsequent active participation. This was 1 of 2 major features required for the MVP release of the white label app, which we would offer to clubs and organizations as a premium add-on to their subscription.
I served as the sole UX/UI designer on this project alongside the Product Manager and development team. Responsibilities included assisting the PM in translating business objectives into user needs and leading an Agile design process that prioritized cross-functional team collaboration and iterative design.
Our product solution targeted mobile devices (Android and iOS). Monday was used as our project management and collaboration tool. Figma and Figjam were used as the primary tools to conduct design, presentation and collaboration.
In alignment with development sprints, 2 weeks were dedicated to defining, ideating and iterating on design.
The objective behind developing a new registration experience for the white label app was to streamline user adoption by optimizing the initial interaction. This aimed to ensure that sports clubs and their members quickly understand the app's value proposition and capabilities which in turn would generate new partnerships and subscription revenue opportunities.
We broke down the process into manageable steps, ensuring each step addresses a specific part of the Sign-up journey while preventing the user from being overwhelmed.
We took advantage of the common practices and patterns utilized by mobile devices to present essential information and content effectively.
Provided additional context and feedback to give users a clearer guidance and understanding to the task at hand.
To enhance brand identity, we tailored the user interface to reflect brand assets & color where appropriate to reinforce visual hierarchy, balance and a course of action.
After understanding the objectives and goals set in the kickoff meeting, I set off to uncover how they translated into user needs and requirements. However, the first step involved in all of this was to formulate a project plan aligned that with the timeline and challenges presented.
Navigating the startup environment posed challenges in allocating the necessary resources for conducting research efforts.
All of our cross-functional teams were stretched across 3 different time zones, one of which, was overseas.
The current mobile interface lacks optimization and adherence to common mobile patterns, requiring additional support and guidance for implementing a new, modernized design.
Given my role as the lone UX designer, I made the deliberate choice to embrace an agile framework alongside my project manager to navigate our project's complexities. This decision was fueled by my commitment in fostering cross-functional team collaboration, knowing the invaluable insights our internal stakeholders had in understanding our target audience.
Leverage the knowledge and expertise of our internal stakeholder teams to gain insight into our user requirements.
This led me to identifying the central problem within the registration process, initiating an audit and crafting Task/User flows to assist my PM in shaping our User Stories.
I needed to ideate as quickly as possible so I took to sketching as a way to get ideas in front of our stakeholder teams for immediate feedback. This allowed me to pivot early if needed and supported a sense of co-creation.
Subsequent medium/high fidelity mockups were critical in unveiling crucial insights, uncovering additional user paths and tasks previously overlooked in addition to taking one step closer to a more finalized solution.
we moved to a well-defined pixel-perfect, and polished version of the interface, to be tested with end users.
I sat down with internal stakeholders as a low cost, high impact method to research into our users needs, paint points and behaviors.
I sat down with a couple of our team members from Customer Service to ask them questions on the current registration flow and any feedback they have ever received from users regarding the current flow.
I then sat down with our CTO and development team to pick their thoughts on what they thought were the current shortcomings and pain points our users faced.
I conducted an audit focusing on heuristic principles, common UI patterns, and best practices to gain firsthand experience of the issues our users might be encountering.
Reframing the problem into "How Might We" (HMW) questions was instrumental in anchoring our problem-solving process in a user-centered approach. Integrating this with what was already known from research deepened my understanding of the user needs and struggles so that I could start my ideation process from a wider perspective.
How might we introduce guidance and structure to bring clarity to the registration process?
How might we leverage common patterns and practices to create a mobile-friendly registration experience for members?
How might we infuse brand identity into the user experience to create a more personalized journey?
With the HMW’s guiding my focus and having collaborated with my project manager to develop user stories, it became clear that I needed to visually map out the potential steps and touchpoints users might encounter during the registration journey. This process influenced my subsequent design decisions, ensuring alignment with the established user stories and overall cohesion within the user experience.
I wanted to get ideas to paper quickly to give the team a visual representation on the direction and feel of the user journey. This facilitated exploration into the different touchpoints and interactions we could introduce all while ensuring project alignment throughout the process.
Having reviewed early designs with the team and coming into an agreement on the general touchpoints and requirements of the new registration flow, I proceeded into creating medium/high fidelity mockups. Focusing on the finer details provided more specific and actionable feedback that took me one step closer to a finalized solution. This also further expanded our user stories, addressing User tasks and edge cases that we may have overlooked in earlier discussions.
How might we introduce guidance and structure to bring clarity to the registration process?
How might we leverage common patterns and practices to create a mobile-friendly registration experience for members?
How might we infuse brand identity into the user experience to create a more personalized journey?
After going through a few cycles of design iteration, I advocated for getting user validation by conducting a few usability studies on video. This ultimately saved us some redesign in post production and ensured that the final product was clear of any major usability issues before final handoff.
By introducing a new registration flow focused on enhancing the perception and credibility of our platform, we successfully persuaded previously hesitant clubs to embrace CourtReserve services.
Early data revealed that existing partnered clubs adopted of the white-label app as a premium add-on.
The release of the white label app was positioned as premium add-on service that was offered and paved the way for additional revenue growth opportunities.
Providing a seamless and personalized experience backed by brand identity helped establish a stronger connection between club and player.
Providing guidance and structure to the registration flow reduced friction and frustration among club members.
Introducing common patterns and principles within the mobile experience improved usability, resulting in a more intuitive and user-friendly registration process for club members.
By adapting the design process to match each project's unique objectives, timelines, and challenges, I can efficiently address specific needs and constraints, while optimizing resources to meet deadlines effectively.
Co-creating with stakeholders as the sole UX designer proved invaluable, leveraging various perspective and expertise to cultivate a collective ownership of the final product. This also facilitated a deeper understanding of user needs and business requirements, leading to a more aligned and successful product solution.
This project also helped me build on the importance of taking ownership in what I provide as the sole UX designer within a startup environment. It instilled accountability and the drive to have a proactive mindset. It gave me a platform to build on foundational leadership skills that I can continue to build on and leverage on future opportunities.
